Attendance Policy
Attendance Policy Overview
The American Women’s College has a process in place to remove students who do not participate in Week 1 based on data from Canvas, KnowledgePath and other assignment sources such as third-party tools. Students must complete at least one point-bearing and content-related assignment in the first weekly module. The rationale behind this practice is to support student success.
We define a student’s “intent to enroll” as participating in Week 1 in online classes or attending the first class session in on-campus and hybrid courses. If a student does not engage in Week 1 learning activities or attend the first class session, she is administratively withdrawn from the course without receiving a W on her transcript and without the disbursement of federal financial aid.
Academic advisors monitor student behavior as Week 1 due dates approach and reach out to students to remind them to submit assignments by 11:59 PM EST on the first Saturday of the session. This policy therefore ensures that students don’t start out in the accelerated course behind and that they do not use up valuable and finite financial aid dollars for a course in which success is unlikely.
In this way, we ensure compliance with:
- Higher Education Act (HEA) Title IV, Federal Financial Aid, Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA)
- US Department of Education Regulations: 34 CFR 668.22
What does this mean for you?
No late work will be accepted in Week 1, in compliance with federal regulations and College policy. There are no exceptions to this for Week 1 work. Additionally, instructors cannot add any type of assignment into Week 1, as it may be construed as participation.
As this policy relates to your class:
Students will be considered to be “attending” class if they do any of the following during the time period from when the class is made available to students and when the first assignments are due.
- Participate in the Weekly Discussion
- Submit an Assignment
- Participate in KnowledgePath
- Start a Quiz or Survey
- Attend class physically, if on campus or hybrid
Due to the accelerated nature of The American Women’s College, the following attendance policy is strictly enforced:
● By the first Saturday of the session start, students are required to actively demonstrate engagement in any courses for which they are registered.
● Students taking a fully on ground class must attend the first Saturday meeting of that class.
● Students taking an online or hybrid class must submit an assignment and/or discussion board post by 11:59pm EST on the first Saturday of the session.
Students with active military orders or students who are in the National Guard or Reserves who have drill dates or annual training that coincide with the first class meeting may be exempt from the Attendance Policy. Students must provide a copy of their active military orders or their schedule of military drill and/or training dates to the Registrar’s Office (registrar@baypath.edu) by the Wednesday prior to the start of the session in order to be eligible for exemption from the Attendance Policy.
Accelerated degree programs within The American Women’s College of Bay Path University are carefully designed with dynamic learning experiences involving substantial class participation and in compliance with federal credit hour guidelines. Attendance is critical for all scheduled classes, whether the class is taught on-ground, online, or in hybrid format. Faculty will monitor and record attendance for on-ground and hybrid courses and the Registrar’s Office will monitor reports of academic attendance drawn from the learning management system for online courses. In accordance with the federal and state financial aid requirements, the University will maintain accurate records of student attendance. In the case of student missing a first class due to military requirements, they will be required to work through the robust curriculum and learning activities, and the faculty member will support the student as needed to ensure they meet course learning outcomes.
Administrative Drop from Class (Missing the first class session of a single course)
Students who fail to attend their first class meeting in the manner described above will be administratively dropped from that course. The Registrar’s Office will contact these students via their Bay Path email, copying the student’s primary advisor. In this email, students will be informed of their impending drop.
Administrative Drop from Institution (Missing the first class session of all courses in a
session)
Students who fail to attend their first class meeting of all of their courses in a session will be administratively dropped from these courses, and may be withdrawn from the institution. The Registrar’s Office will contact these students via their Bay Path email, copying the student’s primary advisor. In this email, students will be informed of their impending drop and will be sent the Enrollment Status Form.
Enrollment Status Form
If the student wishes to continue to be registered for classes in later sessions of that semester, they must complete an Enrollment Status form. A link to this form is sent to the student via email by the Registrar’s Office. By submitting this form to Bay Path University, the student is informing the institution of their intentions in relation to their enrollment status. The student must submit the form by midnight EST on the Friday before the second scheduled Saturday of the current session.
If the student fails to submit the Enrollment Status Form by the stated deadline – or indicates that they do not wish to continue – the Registrar’s Office will administratively drop them from all current and future courses, while also administratively withdrawing them from the institution.
Planning Ahead to Return
New students who wish to defer their enrollment to a date within the current semester should consult their academic advisor or admissions counselor.
New students who wish to defer their enrollment to another semester should consult their admissions counselor.
Returning students who wish to remain enrolled at the institution should contact their academic advisor or admissions counselor.
Dropping or withdrawing from course(s), whether initiated by the student or the institution, may significantly affect a student’s financial aid. Students with any questions related to the attendance policy should contact their academic advisor directly.